Prime minister Modi hoists the Tricolour to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind government

In a historic event, prime minister Narendra Modi hoisted the Tricolour at the Red Fort yesterday in order to mark the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Azad Hind government by revolutionary leader and one of the most respected freedom fighters, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Prime minister Modi honoured the great leader for his contribution to the Indian freedom movement. He said, “’Netaji had promised an India where everyone has equal rights and equal opportunities. He had promised a prosperous nation which was proud of its traditions, development in all areas. He had promised to uproot ‘divide and rule’. Even after so many years, those dreams remain unfulfilled.”

Prime minister Modi donned the famous Azad Hind Fauj cap during the event. While shedding light on the contributions of Netaji, he said that India would have benefited to a great extent and things would have been much better had guidance been taken from leaders like Netaji and Sardar Patel. This event at the Red Fort was attended by union minister Mahesh Sharma, survivors of the INA, Indian armed forces veterans and the followers of Netaji. Prime minister Modi also took a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi family for forgetting the contributions of great and legendary leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He said, “Efforts were made by the Gandhi-Nehru family to forget the contributions made by leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose in the Independence struggle.” Prime minister Modi also unveiled a plaque which will be placed at barrack number three at the Red Fort where members of the Azad Hind Fauj faced trial.

This assumes a lot of significance given that prime minister Modi has deeply emphasised upon the contribution of Netaji and the heroes of the INA in bringing independence to India. More often than not, there have been attempts to undermine the contribution of Netaji and the INA by the so called intellectuals and elitist historians in order to place the entire credit on a certain set of leaders and a particular family. However, the incumbent government is changing all that. By hoisting the Tricolour to mark the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Azad Hind government, Netaji has sent across a strong message to everyone. He has made it clear that the efforts and contributions of innumerable heroes who led the nation to independence will no longer be undermined or forgotten. Prime minister Modi is bringing to light those who deserve credit for their efforts towards taking India to freedom.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and INA were instrumental in giving India’s freedom movement a new dimension and direction. At a time, when the Satyagraha route was being adopted across the country to take on the British, Netaji decided to take things to a next level and made good use of the international conditions prevailing at the time. Netaji, on account of his leadership skills and widespread popularity, was able to form the strong Azad Hind Fauj. Its main aim was to exploit the rivalries of the British during the second world war. Netaji believed that with the help of the Azad Hind Fauj, supported by Japan, and a revolt inside India, the British rule over India could be ended. Three units of the Azad Hind Fauj even took part in an assault on the British in the North-eastern part of India. Unfortunately, it failed in its attempt to oust the British from India. However, its legacy lived on and Netaji has been immortalised as a bold, beloved and a nationalist leader. Despite his popularity, Netaji has been time and again undermined by certain vested interest, however, as is evident the Modi government is correcting these wrongs committed in the past.